Translator: Aristophaneso Editor: Caron_
“How deep is this cave?”
After glancing once more at the Black Cruel Bear King guarding the cave entrance, Ye Tian turned helplessly into the depths of the cave, exploring inwards and hoping for some sort of discovery.
If the cave was some sort of nest, he might be able to find something to eat. Even if there wasn’t much, it would allow him to survive longer and give him that much more hope.
After all, when his parents realized he’d been gone for a long time, they would come looking. At least this place wasn’t too far from the village. If the Ye Family Villagers came out looking for him, there was a good chance they would find him.
And so, Ye Tian wasn’t overly worried.
“This cave is so deep that it actually leads downwards. Tsk tsk, there won’t be a tunnel, will there?” Ye Tian had refined his boldness into a skill, and even though the cave was almost pitch black and nothing could be seen clearly, Ye Tian still continued to explore forward, one hand on the stone wall.
He didn’t know how much time passed—it was perhaps two hours, perhaps four—but Ye Tian walked down the tunnel, accompanied only by the sound of his feet and breath.
Otherwise, the tunnel was silent.
If Ye Tian hadn’t lived two lives and if he hadn’t been in even more lonely places as a Special Forces Soldier, he probably wouldn’t have had the courage to keep going deeper.
Just imagine—alone in a pitch black tunnel, would you dare to keep exploring?
Only Ye Tian dared. With the help of his cruel training from his past life, his willpower was like refined steel and as he walked down this tunnel, instead of fear, he felt curiosity.
“Such a deep and long tunnel can’t possibly have been dug by a beast. Was it man? Are there some sort of ruins here?” As Ye Tian walked more and more, his curiosity grew.
He knew that the Shen Zhou Continent was home to countless weird and strange beasts, but no matter what beast, there was no reason for them to dig their cave so deep.
And Ye Tian hadn’t found a single sign of a beast dwelling in this tunnel. He was confident that no beast had ever stepped foot into this place.
As the tunnel seemed to stretch forward endlessly, Ye Tian only grew more astonished by this place’s history.
With the experience of both lives, Ye Tian felt that this tunnel was artificial. Such a deep tunnel proceeding so neatly forward with room exactly for a single person, not to mention the markings on all four walls of the tunnel, all seemed to point to the conclusion that this tunnel was man-made.
“Forward. If these are really ruins, then I might be able to find another exit!” As he made up his mind, Ye Tian sped up his pace.
Time seemed to slip by in the darkness, and just as Ye Tian was beginning to grow hungry and weary, a pin of light appeared in the distance, giving him a second wind.
“Light? Have I come to the end?”
Ye Tian’s eyes flashed.
He was just about to turn back. After all, if he kept marching without end, he might really die of hunger down here.
But the heavens did spurn his hard work, and finally, Ye Tian reached the end of the tunnel.
He immediately picked up speed and walked towards the light, quickly approaching it.
The closer he got, the warmer the tunnel grew until Ye Tian began sweating. The coldness of the earth dispersed.
“Lava!” Ye Tian’s eyes fell open, the tunnel opening up into a river of lava.
Inside the pool of lava lay many boulders, and upon a particularly giant boulder sat a young man. His eyes were closed, and he was still and unbreathing.
“People!”
Ye Tian was astonished, never expecting to stumble upon another person in these depths, but he soon realized that the man was dead. Otherwise, with his loud cries, the man should’ve noticed him long ago.
Hualala!
The fiery lava rolled and foamed and the temperature was stifling even for a cultivator like Ye Tian.
His body was soon covered with sweat and Ye Tian had to take off his robes, leaving only his tiger skin underwear. Still, he continued forward, carefully hopping from one boulder to another, approaching the young man.
Finding a dead man here was a surprise but also a cause for excitement. A man in a place like this must be an expert. After all, novels he read in his previous life all had this sort of plot.
Perhaps he had a Martial Skill or perhaps it was some other treasure.
This was a mysterious encounter!
Ye Tian grew more and more excited as he contemplated the possibilities; truly, surviving disaster lead to good fortune.
After navigating carefully, Ye Tian finally reached the huge boulder he was aiming for. He quickly tested the young man’s breath with his hand and confirmed that he was indeed dead.
Only then did Ye Tian let out the breath he was holding and begin carefully searching the young man.
The young man was incredibly handsome. He was right at his peak age, his face so good looking that Ye Tian even felt slightly unworthy.
It felt like the term “young and talented hero” was made just to describe this sort of person.
The young man wore cyan robes with brightly embroidered stars, and even with Ye Tian’s experience from another life, he couldn’t help but admire the clothing.
Embroidered starry robes and such a handsome face? He was definitely a lady killer.
“He’s definitely not from White Cloud Town!” Ye Tian decided, examining the young man. There was no way someone from White Cloud Town could afford such expensive clothes. This sort of attire wasn’t in the reach of even the richest Wang Family villagers.
So the man must be from Blood Jade City or from somewhere even further away.
But why would this foreigner come to such a poor and backwards place?
Ye Tian was filled with confusion as he stared at the young man’s corpse, unsure how long the man had been dead for. Finally, he clasped his hands in salute, saying: “Brother, I apologize for disturbing you. Since you’ve already passed, your belongings will no longer be used…”
After speaking, Ye Tian extended his hands and began searching the young man’s robes, touching up and down and… well, everywhere.
Finally, Ye Tian gathered the things he had found.
One book, five small bottles, one blue token, and a crystal box containing a single, beautiful blue flower.
Ye Tian thought the blue flower was incredibly pretty, and he was sure that any woman who saw it would also like it.
“Brother, looks like you’re a romantic man as well. If I can discover your identity, I will definitely deliver this flower to the woman you love,” Ye Tian solemnly promised, storing the box away and looking back at the other things he had found.
The book interested Ye Tian the most. Where there was a book there would be words, and where there were words there would be information, and perhaps he might even discover the young man’s identity.
With his heart filled with curiosity, Ye Tian picked up the book, examining the light blue words inscribed on the cover—Star Hand.
“It looks like a Martial Skill!” Ye Tian’s eyes flashed, expectation filling him. This man was clearly not an ordinary individual and the Martial Skill he carried must not be weak, so Ye Tian hurriedly flipped the book open.
“Star Hand, Low Black Rank Martial Skill. Extremely Powerful. Requires Yellow Martial Spirit or above and Martial Master or higher cultivation level.”
The first line of the book sent Ye Tian into the heights of joy.
“Black Rank Martial Skill! Black Rank! There aren’t any Black Rank Martial Skills in all of Blood Jade City! In White Cloud Town, the highest is Mid Yellow Rank! Hahahahahahahaha…”
Ye Tian was thrilled beyond belief. He had already hit the jack pot—this Black Rank Martial Skill would carry him past the Martial Master Realm. The requirements didn’t bother him at all. After all, with his Yellow Martial Spirit and devouring ability, it was only a matter of time before he reached Martial Master, and when that day came, no one in all of White Cloud Town could be a match for him.
“This brother isn’t any simpleton!”
Calming himself, Ye Tian began to read the book. It wasn’t that he wanted to cultivate the Martial Skill, but he wanted to see if there was anything else hidden inside.
If he were about to die, he would’ve wanted to leave his final words. There was only rock and lava in this place; if the young man wanted to write down his final thoughts, it would’ve been in this book.
“En?” As Ye Tian turned to the final page, he discovered almost twenty lines of characters written in blood.
As expected!
Ye Tian’s heart began pounding again as he read carefully. He knew beyond a doubt that this final message written in blood was incredibly important.
“To think that I, Liu Yunfei, the number one inner sect disciple of the Mysterious Star Sect, the most successful one of my sect’s generation, will die in this remote backwater. I’m reluctant, ah…”
The first line demonstrated the young man’s unwillingness and denial, but it was the information within that shocked Ye Tian.
“Mysterious Star Sect! He’s a disciple of the Mysterious Star Sect and the top talent of his inner sect! No wonder he has a Black Rank Martial Skill.” Ye Tian was utterly floored—the young man before him had a higher status then the entire Scarlet Guard combined! He was from the legendary Mysterious Star Sect!
If the Blood Jade City was a giant, then the Mysterious Star Sect was the Holy Ground described in legends.
Ye Tian had dreamed about this Mysterious Star Sect ever since he had heard about it, and he had never expected to find a person linked to the sect, much less a corpse.
He continued reading.
“On Third Junior Sister’s birthday, I planned to give her the prettiest flower in the world, the Sea Blue Heaven Kui. She would surely have been happy.”
Ye Tian assumed that the blue flower in the crystal box was this Sea Blue Heaven Kui, and it was indeed the prettiest flower that Ye Tian had ever seen.
But unfortunately, this romantic lover never had the change to give her this gift. Ye Tian shook his head at the young man’s misfortune.
“I’m unwilling… The despicable Lang Fantian colluded with the Hundred Poison Sect to ambush me, and now I’m dying from the Hundred Poison Sect’s Three Day Death without hope…”
“I refuse to die helplessly and forgotten! Lang Fantian’s despicable and hypocritical nature must be exposed!”
“Whoever finds my body, please gives this death note to my Third Junior Sister Wan Yunxia. She will repay you and I will be indebted to you forever, wherever my spirit may go.”
“Third Junior Sister, this Senior Brother will no longer be able to accompany you down the Dao of Martial Arts. Junior Sister, take care and I will pray for you in hell…”
One line after another of bloody words filled with unwillingness and resentment, wistful worry and love.
Ye Tian could only imagine how desperate and unwilling Liu Yunfei had been in those final days along with his sadness and reluctance at leaving his Third Junior Sister.
To not be able to see his beloved one last time the day before his death… could words describe that despair?
Ye Tian sighed and spoke solemnly to the body. “Brother Liu, rest easy. I have received your wish and I will help you take revenge. This note will reach your Third Junior Sister. Rest in peace.”
The lava roiled around them and no other sound could be heard, but Ye Tian felt as if the resentment lingering around the bloody words had somehow decreased.